Notes on Comrade Chen Jiageng’s Letter
(November 1, 1955)
Premier Zhou:
After you have reviewed this document (2), please authorize its transmission to the relevant authorities for handling. I believe Mr. Chen’s proposal is well-founded.
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[1]
Chen Jiageng was at that time a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
[2]
Refers to Chen Jiageng’s letter to Mao Zedong dated October 9, 1955. In the letter, he stated that during his recent visit to Northwest China, when he revisited Yan’an in mid-September and passed through Huangling County, he took the opportunity to pay respects at the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor and the Xuanyuan Temple. The historical steles from successive dynasties still stand within the temple compound, and the thousand-year-old cypress trees cast a solemn shade. However, much of the wooden structure of the temple has rotted and is on the verge of collapse. The grassy areas in the courtyard are largely cultivated by local farmers, and private graves are densely scattered across the burial mound, like scales on a fish. Upon inquiry with the county magistrate, he was told that since the liberation no one had been assigned to guard or maintain the site. Although there are slogans promoting the protection of the mausoleum, they exist only in name. As a historic relic of our nation, the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor should be preserved and maintained. After the founding of the People’s Republic, the government has indeed undertaken efforts to protect and restore historical relics and various temples; yet this important site has been allowed to fall into disrepair. It may be that the central competent authorities have simply not paid sufficient attention to it because of its remote location.